The 2026 WVU Men’s Soccer season officially begins Thursday when it travels to Jen Gaber Field to face Charlotte at 7 p.m.
The Mountaineers have high expectations this season, as they were ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll and ranked No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
WVU’s squad this season will be led by three talented captains: Pablo Pozos, Thijs Veldhorst, and Isaac Scheer. Read more: Meet the 2026 WVU Men’s Soccer captains.
The three captains are returners from the 2025 roster, and each racked up accolades and solid stat lines in last year’s campaign.
Related: United States Soccer Coaches Top 25 lists show love to both Mountaineer soccer programs
Pablo Pozos – Senior forward
First up is senior Pablo Pozos from Madrid, Spain. He was picked as the 2026 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference.
Pozos is a six-foot forward returning for his second season with the Mountaineers. Before WVU, he played two seasons at Wingate, a South Atlantic Conference school.
This past season, Pozos played in all 21 games and started 18. He scored 11 goals and three assists in 1,213 minutes played.
Pozos had the second-most goals on the 2025 WVU roster and the most of the returning players.
Related: How WVU Men’s Soccer has fared against its 2026 opponents in the past
Pozos is also the only returning player who made the All-Sun Belt First Team in 2025.
Other accolades Pozos earned this past season include United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Second Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, and Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week (August 26).
Pozos also started the 2025 season strong with a hat trick against Manhattan on August 21. He had multiple goals in two other games and went on a three-game goal streak in September.
At Wingate, Pozos racked up multiple SAC accolades, including Freshman of the Year, First- and Second-Team honors, and two Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Should Pozos further improve this coming season, he is a player with the capability to earn the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year award.
Thijs Veldhorst – Senior defender
Next is senior Thijs Veldhorst from Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Veldhorst is a six-foot defender, also returning for his second season with WVU. He spent his freshman season with Washington Adventist and his sophomore year with Montgomery College.
In 2025, Veldhorst played in all 21 games and started 19. He logged 1,627 minutes, the second most of any returning Mountaineer.
Veldhorst scored one goal this past season against La Salle (August 25) and one assist against UCF (September 28).
Defensively, Veldhorst was a contributor to the WVU back line that helped solidify eight total shutouts in 2025.
Related: WVU hoops legend, longtime Logan coach Willie Akers dies at 89
Veldhorst’s accolades from the 2025 season include College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, and he was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week once (September 2).
Before WVU, Veldhorst scored a combined six goals and eight assists with his previous two teams.
He was named the Team MVP while with Montgomery College in 2024.
Isaac Scheer – Junior midfielder
The last captain is junior Isaac Scheer from Charlotte, North Carolina. He was named to the 2026 Preseason All-Conference Team by the Sun Belt Conference.
Scheer is a 5’10 midfielder returning for his third season with the Mountaineers. He has been with WVU for his entire collegiate career so far.
In the postseason, Scheer was a strong piece to the team, scoring two goals in Sun Belt Tournament games and one goal in the NCAA Tournament contest against High Point.
Scheer’s three postseason goals were his only goals of the entire season. He was tied as the team leader in assists with seven.
Scheer played all 21 games and started 17. He logged a total of 1,347 minutes.
In his freshman season, Scheer also scored three goals, one of which was a game-winner against South Carolina. He had five assists.
In high school, Scheer was ranked as the No. 47 midfielder in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.
Final notes
WVU Men’s Soccer will also see 12 other players return to the pitch for the 2026 season. Other big names include All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree Nacho Martinez and All-Sun Belt Freshman Team honorees Juan Alvarez and Sammie Walker.
Related: One month out: WVU Men’s Soccer
Eight transfers and five freshmen will join the Mountaineers this upcoming season.
WVU Tech transfer Julen Recalde, who earned River States Conference Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year honors this past season, could be a name to watch to win the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year award.
Following its game against Charlotte, WVU will host its home opener on August 24 at 6 p.m. when it faces St. Bonaventure at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage by downloading the WV Sports Nation app.
